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Losing tiger barbs to blatter issue

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So i have just set up a new fish tank with my girlfriend in the last few days. Its a 15g tank and i started with 3 tiger barbs and 2 bala sharks. Within the first 2 days i had lost my first barb to a blatter issue. First the barb lost his control of the blatter than in a few hours he was done. We took that one back to the petsmart and thought that maybe they were having issues with a small school so i got 3 more of them at the store. This gave us 5 barbs and the 2 sharks. My girlfriend was a science research student in highscool and knows how to care for them and all but with just starting the tank is this an issue with the care of the fish at the petsmart that we got them from or something that we are doing wrong. Both the barbs and the balas were listed as semi-agressive fish. the sharks are doing well but the barbs are having issues with there blatters

Firstly, I must say that the stocking of your tank is all wrong. Both species of fish will become too large for your tank and they both belong in schools of several individuals. I would take them back and stock the tank with appropriate fish.

Now to your problem. Is the tank cycled? What kind of filtration are you using? have you tested the water?

<-- Click for journals"There is no right way to do the wrong thing." - KingFisher "Only bad things happen fast in this hobby" - Cliff

It takes just moments to read about Bala Sharks and Tiger Barbs. Please do so and you will see they do not belong in any 15 gallon tank, both belong in schools and your tank is also not cycled for fish yet.

I am awere that the tank is to small i plan to move move them soon but i currently do not have the funds to buy a bigger tank. With that siaid i have a friend that is setting me up with a 55g tank to place them in

Filtration is Marina fit for a 15g tank that is new. also it is a swimming blatter issue.